Paybacks are a ...

It seemed a little excessive to torture the Bears with a delayed start time and another pause in the action after Marcus Herford delivered a lightning strike kick return for TD. Nothing was going to stop the inevitable as the 2007 Jayhawks attempted to reach back into 2006 and revise history. The one-point road loss in Waco is in the record books, but after Saturday's 58-10 mauling it sure doesn't seem quite so significant.

The rout was keyed by a Blue Steel defense that is more impressive each week. The defensive backs had a big day as they collected four interceptions. Confidence and depth in the secondary combined with this front seven means that KU should be able to frustrate even the best offenses in the league.

So the Bears are vanquished along with the Rockets ... three to go. However, before the vengeance tour continues, we've got to head west for a little Buffalo hunt.

'06 Meltdown Losses to Avenge Checklist
X  -- Toledo
X  -- Baylor
_  -- Texas A&M
_  -- Nebraska
_  -- Oklahoma State

Final Stats |  Quotes |  Notes |  Photo Gallery

From Row 53

• Justin Thornton (1 tackle, 1 INT, 1 pass breakup) played the best game of his career. The young player was on the wrong end of a few game changing plays last year so it was nice to see him putting it all together for this game.
• Chris Harris was again impressive with six tackles, one interception and two pass breakups. Throw-in the play of Kendrick Harper (1 tackle, 1 breakup) and you feel pretty good about what KU can do on defense this year. Also, you feel a little better about how the unit will deal with the anticipated early departure of Aqib Talib.
• Is Kerry Meier our best "hands" receiver? Looks like he needs more early game action at wideout.
• Angus Quigley looked good in the backfield. I'm wondering if we didn't jump the gun on pulling the redshirt off of Carmen Boyd-Anderson. Not a big deal, as now he'll have some experience when he goes into spring ball to compete for B-Mac's spot in the rotation.
• KU fans are stressing about the punt game. Tucker has really struggled against the wind this year. We know he can launch the ball when he's on his game. Hopefully, Mangino is right in that it's just a slump and maybe he can get a nice calm day in Boulder and get back on track.
• I'm not 100% comfortable with the new punt returners. Anthony Webb caught one on a dead run that nearly caused me to have a heart attack. Still, all of the balls we fielded successfully.
• Dropped balls. KU keeps on winning, but if this is corrected, KU's offense would be lethal. Plus, Reesing won't have to hear about how his completion percentage is too low.
• I wasn't properly trained for a five-hour pre-game tailgate.
• KU is ranked 15 in both polls. In the AP, they are tied with Mizzou.
• Next week's game at Colorado will start at 4:45 CST and will be on ESPN. It's KU's first regular season appearance on ESPN since 1995.
  

"They are a Top 20 team and they are playing like it. Once they got the momentum, they just kept it rolling."
--David Gettis, Baylor wide receiver